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I’m Bob Larson. With three extra legislative session behind them, there is a lot of distrust at the negotiating table in Olympia after Republicans say the governor’s veto of the B&O tax reduction in the operating budget was a double-cross…

SHARON BROWN … “You know, what’s the measure of a man if he can’t be trusted.”

Tri-Cities Republican Senator Sharon Brown says the move was little more than a bait-n-switch …

SHARON BROWN … “I think that’s very accurate, ‘bait and switch.’ You know, this, the B&O tax incentive, lowering the B&O rate for manufacturers to the Boeing rate, was something that was negotiated with the governor’s staff, with full knowledge by the governor, of what we were doing. It was part of the grand bargain to get us out of town and to do what’s right for the state of Washington.”

I asked Brown what this says about the negotiations moving forward?

SHARON BROWN … “It shows that you’re just lying. You’re lying to get a deal done. So, you’ve got everything you want in the budget and you’re just going to strike the stuff from the budget that you don’t like. And that’s appalling to me. I mean, it doesn’t bode well for negotiating going forward because now we clearly can’t trust you.”

Republicans say they’re still trying to negotiate a Capital Budget, but insist a permanent fix for the Hirst decision, that restricts well drilling on rural lands, is a must.

Listen tomorrow for more on why the B&O tax cut was so important for rural Washington.